Georgia Department of Education

FIFTH GRADE MATHEMATICS

UNIT 2 STANDARDS
Dear Parents,

We want to make sure that you have an understanding of the mathematics your child will be learning this
year. Below you will find the standards we will be learning in Unit Two. Each standard is in bold print
and underlined and below it is an explanation with student examples. Your child is not learning math the
way we did when we were in school, so hopefully this will assist you when you help your child at home.
Please let your teacher know if you have any questions.

MGSE5.NBT.1 Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as
much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.
This standard calls for students to reason about the magnitude of numbers. Students should work with the
idea that the tens place is ten times as much as the ones place, and the ones place is 1/10th the size of the
tens place. In 4th grade, students examined the relationships of the digits in numbers for whole numbers
only. This standard extends this understanding to the relationship of decimal fractions. Students use base
ten blocks, pictures of base ten blocks, and interactive images of base ten blocks to manipulate and
investigate the place value relationships. They use their understanding of unit fractions to compare
decimal places and fractional language to describe those comparisons.
Before considering the relationship of decimal fractions, students express their understanding that in
multi-digit whole numbers, a digit in one place represents 10 times what it represents in the place to its
right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.

Example:
A student thinks, “I know that in the number 5555, the 5 in the tens place (5555) represents 50 and the 5
in the hundreds place (5555) represents 500. So a 5 in the hundreds place is ten times as much as a 5 in
the tens place or a 5 in the tens place is 1/10th of the value of a 5 in the hundreds place.
Based on the base-10 number system, digits to the left are times as great as digits to the right; likewise,
digits to the right are 1/10th of digits to the left. For example, the 8 in 845 has a value of 800 which is ten
times as much as the 8 in the number 782. In the same spirit, the 8 in 782 is 1/10th the value of the 8 in
845.
To extend this understanding of place value to their work with decimals, students use a model of one unit;
they cut it into 10 equal pieces, shade in, or describe 1/10th of that model using fractional language.
(“This is 1 out of 10 equal parts. So it is 1/10. I can write this using 1/10 or 0.1.”) They repeat the process
by finding 1/10 of a 1/10 (e.g., dividing 1/10 into 10 equal parts to arrive at 1/100 or 0.01) and can
explain their reasoning: “0.01 is 1/10 of 1/10 thus is 1/100 of the whole unit.”

In the number 55.55, each digit is 5, but the value of the digits is different because of the placement.

The 5 that the arrow points to is 1/10 of the 5 to the left and 10 times the 5 to the right. The 5 in the ones
place is 1/10 of 50 and 10 times five tenths.

The 5 that the arrow points to is 1/10 of the 5 to the left and 10 times the 5 to the right. The 5 in the tenths
place is 10 times five hundredths.

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 Georgia Department of Education

MGSE5.NBT.3 Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths.

a. Read and write decimals to thousandths using base-ten numerals, number names, and
expanded form, e.g., 347.392 = 3 × 100 + 4 × 10 + 7 × 1 + 3 × (1/10) + 9 x (1/100) + 2 ×
(1/1000).
b. Compare two decimals to thousandths based on meanings of the digits in each place,
using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.
This standard references expanded form of decimals with fractions included. Students should
build on their work from 4th grade, where they worked with both decimals and fractions
interchangeably. Expanded form is included to build upon work in MCC.5.NBT.2 and deepen
students’ understanding of place value. Students build on the understanding they developed in
fourth grade to read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths. They connect their prior
experiences with using decimal notation for fractions and addition of fractions with denominators
of 10 and 100. They use concrete models and number lines to extend this understanding to
decimals to the thousandths. Models may include base ten blocks, place value charts, grids,
pictures, drawings, manipulatives, technology-based, etc. They read decimals using fractional
language and write decimals in fractional form, as well as in expanded notation. This
investigation leads them to understanding equivalence of decimals (0.8 = 0.80 = 0.800).

Comparing decimals builds on work from 4th grade.

Example:
Some equivalent forms of 0.72 are:
72 70
/100 /100 + 2/100
7 2
/10 + /100 0.720
7 × (1/10) + 2 × (1/100) 7 × (1/10) + 2 × (1/100) + 0 × (1/1000)
720
0.70 + 0.02 /1000
Students need to understand the size of decimal numbers and relate them to common benchmarks such as
0, 0.5 (0.50 and 0.500), and 1. Comparing tenths to tenths, hundredths to hundredths, and thousandths to
thousandths is simplified if students use their understanding of fractions to compare decimals.
Examples:

Comparing 0.25 and 0.17, a student might think, “25 hundredths is more than 17 hundredths”. They
may also think that it is 8 hundredths more. They may write this comparison as 0.25 > 0.17 and
recognize that 0.17 < 0.25 is another way to express this comparison.

Comparing 0.207 to 0.26, a student might think, “Both numbers have 2 tenths, so I need to compare the
hundredths. The second number has 6 hundredths and the first number has no hundredths so the second
number must be larger. Another student might think while writing fractions, “I know that 0.207 is 207
thousandths (and may write 207/1000). 0.26 is 26 hundredths (and may write 26/100) but I can also think of it
as 260 thousandths (260/1000). So, 260 thousandths is more than 207 thousandths.

Created and shared by Henry County Schools Mathematics Instructional Lead Teachers, Henry County, GA
 Georgia Department of Education

MGSE5.NBT.4 Use place value understanding to round decimals up to the hundredths place.
This standard refers to rounding. The expectation is that students have a deep understanding of place
value and number sense and can explain and reason about the answers they get when they round. Students
should have numerous experiences using a number line to support their work with rounding.

Example:
Round 14.235 to the nearest tenth.
Students recognize that the possible answer must be in tenths thus, it is either 14.2 or 14.3. They then
identify that 14.235 is closer to 14.2 (14.20) than to 14.3 (14.30).

Students should use benchmark numbers to support this work. Benchmarks are convenient numbers for
comparing and rounding numbers. 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 are examples of benchmark numbers.
Example:
Which benchmark number is the best estimate of the shaded amount in the model below? Explain your
thinking.

MCC CLUSTER #2: PERFORM OPERATIONS WITH MULTI-DIGIT WHOLE NUMBERS

AND WITH DECIMALS TO HUNDREDTHS.
Students develop understanding of why division procedures work based on the meaning of base-ten
numerals and properties of operations. They finalize fluency with multi-digit addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division. They apply their understandings of models for decimals, decimal notation,
and properties of operations to add and subtract decimals to hundredths. They develop fluency in these
computations, and make reasonable estimates of their results. Students use the relationship between
decimals and fractions, as well as the relationship between finite decimals and whole numbers (i.e., a
finite decimal multiplied by an appropriate power of 10 is a whole number), to understand and explain
why the procedures for multiplying and dividing finite decimals make sense. They compute products and
quotients of decimals to hundredths efficiently and accurately. Mathematically proficient students
communicate precisely by engaging in discussion about their reasoning using appropriate mathematical
language. The terms students should learn to use with increasing precision with this cluster are:
multiplication/multiply, division/division, decimal, decimal point, tenths, hundredths, products, quotients,
dividends, rectangular arrays, area models, addition/add, subtraction/subtract, (properties)-rules about
how numbers work, reasoning.

MGSE5.NBT.7 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or
drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between

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 Georgia Department of Education

addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used. (NOTE:
Addition and subtraction are taught in this unit, but the standard is continued in Unit 3:
Multiplication and Division with Decimals.)

This standard builds on the work from 4th grade where students are introduced to decimals and compare
them. In5th grade, students begin adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals. This work
should focus on concrete models and pictorial representations, rather than relying solely on the algorithm.
The use of symbolic notations involves having students record the answers to computations (2.25 × 3=
6.75), but this work should not be done without models or pictures. This standard includes students’
reasoning and explanations of how they use models, pictures, and strategies.
This standard requires students to extend the models and strategies they developed for whole numbers in
grades 1-4 to decimal values. Before students are asked to give exact answers, they should estimate
answers based on their understanding of operations and the value of the numbers. In this unit, students
will only add and subtract decimals. Multiplication and division are addressed in Unit 3.

Examples:
• + 1.7
A student might estimate the sum to be larger than 5 because 3.6 is more than 3½ and 1.7 is more than
1½.
• 5.4 – 0.8
A student might estimate the answer to be a little more than 4.4 because a number less than 1 is being
subtracted.

Students should be able to express that when they add decimals they add tenths to tenths and hundredths
to hundredths. So, when they are adding in a vertical format (numbers beneath each other), it is important
that they write numbers with the same place value beneath each other. This understanding can be
reinforced by connecting addition of decimals to their understanding of addition of fractions. Adding
fractions with denominators of 10 and 100 is a standard in fourth grade.
Example: 4 - 0.3

3 tenths subtracted from 4 wholes. One of the wholes must be divided into tenths.

The solution is 3 and 7/10 or 3.7.

Example:
A recipe for a cake requires 1.25 cups of milk, 0.40 cups of oil, and 0.75 cups of water. How much
liquid is in the mixing bowl?

Student 1: 1.25 + 0.40 + 0.75

First, I broke the numbers apart. I broke 1.25 into 1.00 + 0.20 + 0.05. I left 0.40 like it was. I
broke 0.75 into 0.70 + 0.05.

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 Georgia Department of Education

I combined my two 0.05’s to get 0.10. I combined 0.40 and 0.20 to get 0.60. I added the 1 whole
from 1.25. I ended up with 1 whole, 6 tenths, 7 more tenths, and another 1 tenths, so the total is 2.4.

0.05 + 0.05 = 0.10

Student 2
I saw that the 0.25 in the 1.25 cups of milk and the 0.75 cups of water would combine to equal 1
whole cup. That plus the 1 whole in the 1.25 cups of milk gives me 2 whole cups. Then I added
the 2 wholes and the 0.40 cups of oil to get 2.40 cups.

Example of Multiplication:
A gumball costs $0.22. How much do 5 gumballs cost? Estimate the total, and then calculate. Was your
estimate close?

I estimate that the total cost will be a little more than a dollar. I know that 5 20’s equal 100 and we have 5
22’s. I have 10 whole columns shaded and 10 individual boxes shaded. The 10 columns equal 1 whole. The
10 individual boxes equal 10 hundredths or 1 tenth. My answer is $1.10.
My estimate was a little more than a dollar, and my answer was $1.10. I was really close.

Common Misconceptions

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 Georgia Department of Education

A common misconception that students have when trying to extend their understanding of whole number
place value to decimal place value is that as you move to the left of the decimal point, the number
increases in value. Reinforcing the concept of powers of ten is essential for addressing this issue.

A second misconception that is directly related to comparing whole numbers is the idea that the longer the
number the greater the number. With whole numbers, a 5-digit number is always greater that a 1-, 2-, 3-,
or 4-digit number. However, with decimals a number with one decimal place may be greater than a
number with two or three decimal places. For example, 0.5 is greater than 0.12, 0.009 or 0.499. One
method for comparing decimals it to make all numbers have the same number of digits to the right of the
decimal point by adding zeros to the number, such as 0.500, 0.120, 0.009 and 0.499. A second method is
to use a place-value chart to place the numerals for comparison.

Students might compute the sum or difference of decimals by lining up the right-hand digits as they
would whole number. For example, in computing the sum of 15.34 + 12.9, students will write the
problem in this manner:

15.34

+ 12.9

16.63

To help students add and subtract decimals correctly, have them first estimate the sum or difference.
Providing students with a decimal-place value chart will enable them to place the digits in the proper
place.

Created and shared by Henry County Schools Mathematics Instructional Lead Teachers, Henry County, GA